Unlike deciduous trees in the north, many hardwoods in Central Florida hold onto their leaves until late winter/early spring, when they drop their leaves, quickly blossom, and start their new leaf growth all within a very few weeks.
Along with the incredible green "leaf out" come the first wildflowers of the year. Among the earliest to blossom is the "sky-blue lupine," which bursts out in spreading clusters of blue flowers and powdery gray-blue catkin. This is a little different from northern lupine, which tends to grow in very tall and dense stands across an entire field; down here, the plant tends to be shorter and more compact. But that may just be a result of its appearing in a more sandy, drier climate.
But the best part of spring, for me,is the return of the dragon and damselflies. Last Friday, in the upland pine scrub part of the Turkey Creek Sanctuary, I found a first of the season Regal Darner, one of the most beautiful and uncommon darners in our region.
